The present invention relates to a sun visor for automotive vehicles and particularly to a foamed sun visor, and more particularly to the mounting bracket within the body of the sun visor. The bracket includes at least one insertion opening for accommodating a visor mounting or supporting shaft.
A conventional sun visor body is reinforced by an insert, in the form of a wire frame, which typically extends generally around the peripheral edges of the sun visor. Along one longitudinal edge of the sun visor one or more of the aforemounting brackets are provided for supporting the sun visor on the vehicle body. Typically, at one end region of the one longitudinal edge there is a first mounting bracket in which is defined an insertion opening for receiving therein one end of a mounting shaft. The other end of the mounting shaft is swivelably connected to the vehicle body. The first mounting bracket and its associated mounting shaft permits the sun visor to rotate and swivel in the familiar manner. Toward the opposite end of the one longitudinal edge, there is a second mounting bracket with two insertion openings which are adapted for receiving therein a mounting pin which is aligned approximately coaxially with the mounting shaft and which is parallel to the one longitudinal edge. The second mounting bracket extends across a cutout in the sun visor body. The mounting pin is detachably received in the mounting receiver of an outer support that is located on the vehicle body. The mounting brackets are clipped onto the wire frame or they may be formed directly on the wire frame, as by injection molding. Sun visors are available which have but one mounting bracket and one mounting shaft for effecting the interconnection between the sun visor and the vehicle body.
In conventional sun visor bodies, the unit comprising the wire frame and sun visor body are surrounded in a cushioning material, foam or the like, for defining the visor body which, in turn, is covered by a foil layer. Cut foam or molded foam can be used as the cushioning material. Cut foam includes pieces cut from webs of plastic foam which are placed on both sides of the reinforcing insert and of the mounting brackets and which are held together by the cover foil, having edges which are sealed together.
Molded foam sun visor bodies are formed by placing the reinforcing insert and the mounting brackets in a foaming mold and then foaming plastic material around them. The molded foam sun visor body is completed with the provision of a cover foil around it.
In producing foam molded sun visor bodies, major problems are encountered in the regions of the mounting brackets because it is difficult, due to the foaming pressure, to prevent foam from entering the shaft or pin insertion openings of the brackets. Although it is possible to employ adhesive tape, or the like, for covering the insertion openings, this is an unsatisfactory long-term solution since the adhesive tape method is time consuming and labor intensive and, in addition, is not particularly dependable.